Is Mouth Breathing Causing You Dental Problems?

It is ideal to breathe through our noses, but some people tend to breathe through their mouths instead. Mouth breathing can occur during normal daytime hours, but affects people while sleeping most often. It is usually a side effect of sleep apnea.

What causes mouth breathing?

Anyone who has ever had a bad head cold has had moments of being so stuffed up that they can’t breathe through their nose if they wanted to. Main causes of mouth breathing include:

Chronic colds

Deviated nasal septum

Allergies

Inflamed and/or enlarged tonsils

Asthma

History of thumb sucking

Why Mouth Breathing Matters

Mouth breathing can lead to generally annoying conditions like excessive snoring, but there are many other health impacts that mouth breathing can have on a person.

Difficulty breathing and getting a proper night’s sleep

Bad breath caused by dry teeth and mouth

Hoarseness due to airways being dry

Open mouthed appearance

Dental problems like an irregular bite, teeth grinding and jaw pain

Worsened asthma

Development of a lisp

Treatments

The important factor to treating mouth breathing is to understand what the underlying cause is. Understanding that is important to ensure proper treatment methods are used. There are several ways to help you breathe through your nose. Nasal sprays and nose strips are quick and easy methods that work for many people. Another simple method that works for many is to tighten the muscles that keep the mouth closed right before going to bed by chewing gum for about ten minutes before going to sleep.

Your dentist may recommend a custom-made mouth guard to wear while sleeping. The main reason is to keep the jaw in the correct position which allows the airway to open up better. This can also be a helpful aid for people with bruxism and TMJ. If sleep apnea is severe, a sleep apnea machine may also be prescribed by your doctor.